(View of downtown Vilnius in Lithuania)
Photo by me
Why would you ever want to do that!
Isn't it much safer, cozier, and more predictable staying at home on
your couch? You can snuggle up with a loved one and pass the day into
binge-watching Netflix bliss. And for the majority of people that's
fine, but there is a select few of you that read the above statement
and cringe. For some of you, the predictable and the mundane feel it
to be a malaise, a sickness to be remedied.. The only cure is an
adventure, to see new peoples, places, and lands.
Okay so waxing poetic aside, people now
more than ever are traveling further and further from home. There are
several reasons for this I've seen. One, the world is smaller and
more connected than it has ever been. With internet and
globalization, far flung countries and secret places become common
knowledge. They're then hash tagged, and posted for common
consumption. For better or worse, the internet has put the vast
majority of the world at our fingertips.
The language barriers is not what it
used to be either. The somewhat guttural, bizarrely grammared, hodge
poged, franco-germanic language that we call English has permeated
the globe. How lucky for us. Most of the main tourist destinations
you will go to have decent English speakers- if not everywhere,
certainly at your hostel or bed and breakfast. And for those places
that do not, with a little good will and google translate you'd be
fine.
Then there is the tourism industry
itself. Many cities around the world have turned to tourism as their
main form of revenue. I have somewhat mixed emotions about this. I
mean I certainly benefit from it and the money raised from these
places certainly benefits their economies. I just feel in some places
the power dynamic is a bit skewed; where poorer, none western
countries are having to cater to their benevolent, white tourists. It
all smells a bit colonial to me.
(Old Pan American advertisement)
Morality aside, there places the world
over that cater to tourists. There are familiar western shops and
food chains ( especially Starbucks. Omg there is a Starbucks in every
major city I have ever been to.) There are hostels, hotels, souvenir
shops, the comforts of Western consumerism are everywhere. There are
so many comforts of home, in fact, it can often be hard to find that
ever elusive and sought after “authentic experience”(will have to
write on that subject in future posts)
So its easier than ever to travel.
Okay. But it still doesn't explain why there are so many people
deciding to travel full time. Because let me assure you, full time
travel is quite a bit different than going somewhere for a week and
blowing your tax return money. That being said, this too, is easier
than ever. With the internet the ability to work from home means home
can be anywhere. Code writing road warriors are by far the most
common. Then we have those near and dear to my heart, the traveling
bohemian writers and artists. We have bloggers of course (hello).
Google's ad sense lets you generate revenue from placing ads on your
website (hint hint).
(rando photo from wikimedia commons)
I have talked a bit about the how but
more interested in, fascinated with, enticed by, is the why. I am a
firm believer that travel, in whatever form, (even in a relaxed, blow
your paycheck vacation, though far less so) is a boon to the soul. I
think it has the ability to reinvigorate ones life, to offer a
different perspective and insight into different ways of living, to
better appreciate what we have and what we don't.
I wonder, dear reader, why you travel.
Or why you don't. It is my hope to convince you to get out there and
explore the world while it is easier than ever. Or to at least
explore your back yard, I assure you there is plenty to be discovered
within 60 miles of your home. To that end I am happy to answer any
questions you have about traveling. My next few posts I think will be
travel advice. From traveling locally in your car to traveling abroad
with just a backpack. In the meantime would you tell me (and other
readers) about your favorite place or travel experience? Let's
inspire each other. And if that feels like too much, just leave me a
comment in general, it warms my heart and encourages me to write more
:)
Until next time dear readers,
-Your Lone Wolf Traveler
